The Saint John's Bible was commissioned in 1998 by Saint John's Abbey and University in the USA. It is the first illuminated Bible to be commissioned by a Benedictine abbey in nearly 500 years.
Visit the Saint John's Bible website.
In 2012, ACU acquired a Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible – a limited edition museum-quality reproduction, printed on custom-made cloth paper, featuring metallic illuminations, and bound in hand-embossed leather. Like the original, the Heritage Edition is in seven volumes and each measures two feet tall by three feet wide when open.
The acquisition of the Heritage Edition was largely due to the inspired decision and funding from Fr Anthony Casamento, ACU’s Director of Catholic Identity and Mission and the support of the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Greg Craven.
Fr Eric Hollas, OSB, a Benedictine monk and priest from Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota, officially handed over the University’s set of books during a visit to the North Sydney Campus.
The Saint John's Bible is a collaboration between theologians headquartered in Minnesota, U.S.A., and a team of 20 artists under the direction of Donald Jackson, operating from his scriptorium, in Monmouth, Wales. Jackson, a renowned British calligrapher, is theofficial scribe and calligrapher to the Crown Office of the United Kingdom. The project fulfilled Jackson's childhood dream of creating a hand-written, illuminated bible.
The pages of the original edition of The Saint John's Bible are made from calfskin or vellum, while artists used hand-cut quills from the feathers of geese, turkeys, and swans to inscribe the text. Ink for the text is derived from Chinese ink sticks which are ground to a powder and combined with water. The vivid colours used to illustrate teh Bible are attained through crushing minerals and stones, which are then mixed with egg yolk and water to create paints. Illumination of the Bible is achieved through the application of gold leaf.
To find more about the materials and processes used in the production of the bible, please visit The Saint John's Bible website
The project was commissioned by Saint John's Abbey and University in 1998 and completed in 2011. The Bible is comprised of seven volumes which were finished at various stages.
Hear the reasons and the processes for the creation of the bible.
The seven volumes are distributed across the University. Each volume is housed in a custom-made cabinet. Current locations are:
All volumes can be seen within their display cabinets. However, if you would like to arrange an appointment to view a volume in more detail, please contact us.
You can also explore each book online.